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National Intrigue: Panini America Peeks RC Design for 2011 National Treasures Football

Simply, there are precious few moments during the course of any trading card season that pack as much impact as the one you’re about to experience. That’s not hyperbole.

The official unveiling of the Rookie Card designs for National Treasures Football is a stop-you-in-your-tracks event every year, for it foreshadows the face of some of that season’s most coveted, consequential and valuable cards across the entire industry. As you’re about to see, 2011 National Treasures Football aims to please.

In the interest of full disclosure, I first caught a glimpse of these beauties several weeks ago when they arrived hot off the presses from the Panini America production facility. Before they could be sent to the respective players to receive their on-card autographs, I scanned the following 36 cards — including base RCs as well as Gold and Platinum parallels — for a gallery to be named later.

Since I simply couldn’t wait anymore, this is that gallery. Enjoy this exclusive first look and let us know what you think about this year’s design in the comments section below. Stay tuned to The Knight’s Lance for a must-see follow-up gallery as the signed versions begin returning to the office.

I can never afford this product and can only drool at its contents, but I have always seen amazing stuff from it. And these set an example of what I have seen. Some very nice stuff Panini. Great patches. Amazing patches. And love the border that encloses them. They look like something you would find in a treasure hunt.

Although I understand the individual LCS will assigns the box cost, Im asking the Panini community what they have found the average retail per box cost to be? At the card shows in my northern Jersey area, 2010-2011 National Treasures tipped the scales at an untenable $450. Have you guys found it to be so costly?

Wow every week you find something to blow our collective minds. You have done it again these patches are phenomenal. The Daniel Thomas one would have to be the best looking one, it just has character. The use of the team colors on the card just make all the different graphics and patches blend awesomely.

It a shame thier is no Steelers rookie card made this year.Not one Steelers rookie auto with a peice of jersey this year at all.I have only seeing 1 steeler rookie auto .Cameron Heyward but no jersey yet.They should split it up and not make 3 rookies of 1 team.

The issue is locating rooks’ who will motivate and help drive sales. As a “for instance,” and I realize this is a 1-box sample, but I purchased and opened a box of Gridiron Gear. I pulled a Quinton Caver auto, a Colt rookie LB’er I’m not terribly familiar with, a 1/C Ponder jersey card and a multi-color Vithante Shiancoe patch /50. I was astonished to pull yet another Shiancoe patch, and even more amazed that he was included in the product. Other than Ponder, A.P and Harvin, what Vikings are collectable? I presume Shiancoe, bc he occassionally factors into the passing game. That explains his inclusion in my weak break… But it happens. National Treasures is entirely rookie driven product. In theory, Maurkice Pouncey might have been an interesting inclusion but over-all, the Steelers lack a compellingly collectable rookie. To include one for the sake of team representation is cost-prohibitive, I’m guessing, and certainly weakens the checklist for those who are not Steeler
devotees.

You don’t like pulling autos of rookies you’ve never heard of? $8 in resale value is a blessing when you spend over $100 on a box.

National Treasures is very cool, and I love to open anything I can get my hands on, and afford. Usually I dump $$ on $100-150 boxes, and don’t get to open NT.

Yes a lot of the cards in NT are very cool looking, but why would I want to spend $400/box to get the same Rookie Premier Materials (RPM) Cards, just like I get out of the lower end boxes? Look at the Rookie Gems cards in 2010 Gridiron Gear, they are virtiually the same as NT NFL Gear. The lower-end brands are starting to have more on-card auto’s, which is awesome. Maybe it’s just the fact that the NT RPM Patch Auto’s are the staple rookie card in the hobby? It seems to me that you would almost have to pull a top player, or /25 gold version, to come anywhere close to making it worth the money. Sadly this is true for all products. I just don’t understand why one would pay so much more to get the same “event worn” jersey that may, or may not of been touched by said player.

Why i’m ranting, what’s up with flooding the market with sooo many “Event Used” relics? I mean come on, there is a whole 50 card set with the same exact piece of laundry tag on each card in Threads this year. For almost every player. A laundry tag used to be something fun to pull, but now I see 49 other cards out there just like mine. We card collectors love Game Used, but take a hint on the event used, and slow down a bit.

No, NOT what I’m saying. No one is interested in dropping a couple of C-notes on a high-end box, only for the box hit to be Jordan Todman, Dion Lewis or Lance Kendricks. However, there’s always a player or 3 who requires extra time to develop. My point, though, is that including players for the sake of team representation is a poor policy. Take Jordan Todman for instance, or Glenn Coffee from last year. Those cats aren’t even on a roster.
National Treasures is certainly not for everybody; unless Tracy tells me differently as he did with the Preferred hoops product, N/T costs as much as a car payment. I WILL say, however, that I have seen Panini create envelope-pushing memorabilia lines and inserts. While I was disappointed that Corey Liuget and Quinton Caver were my autos & my jersey cards were 1/C swatches…I have found such to be the Panini exception as opposed to the rule.